Many frequently used objects comprise materials that are hard to the human touch and/or result in friction when disposed against a human body, especially in repetitive motions. It is generally thought desirable to make the body contacting regions of such objects as soft as possible in order to make their use more comfortable for a user e.g., by reducing pressure and/or friction. “Body contacting,” as used herein, means contacting a user's skin and/or clothing. Many attempts have been made to make such objects or the body contacting regions of such objects more comfortable for a user. For example, relatively rigid razor and toothbrush handles have been provided with regions of softer materials, including disposing the softer regions with “fins,” which bend more easily at thin gauge. Hairbrushes have been provided with a sheath of relatively soft polymeric material disposed about a rigid handle. Luggage, backpack, briefcase and purse handles have been provided with relatively thick padded handles. In addition, for commercial and/or aesthetic reasons it is often desirable to include color, text and/or graphics in such objects, which can be difficult and/or expensive.
A need exists in the art for improved methods of making polymeric articles.